Hearty Spices

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Take a cup of All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Baking Powder, ¼ tsp of Salt and 2 tbsp of Sugar in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of Butter, cut into small pieces  and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles very coarse sand. Stir in   ¼ cup of roughly chopped Cranberries and mix well. Add 5 tbsp of Orange Juice and 1 tsp of Orange Zest (optinal) and combine to make ball of dough, adding  tbsp of Orange Juice if necessary. Divide the dough into four pieces and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle Sugar over them, if desired. Bake for 16-19 minutes, until scones acquire a light golden color. Serve warm or after cooled.

Preparation - Wash, peel and cube a medium Bottlegourd (discard seeds if it is not tender). Mix 3 tbsp of Gram/Chickpea Flour (Besan) in ¼ cup of Cold Water in a bowl. In a pressure cooker, heat a tsp of Oil and add 1 tsp each of Mustard Seeds  and Cumin Seeds . Once they splutter, add 2-3 slit Green Chillies, a medium Onion - sliced thinly, few Curry Leaves, a tsp of Minced Ginger, 2-3 Garlic cloves and a pinch of Asafoetida . Saute for 3-4 minutes on medium-heat and add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and bottle gourd pieces. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add enough water until the bottle gourd pieces are completely immersed and close cook for 3 whistles. Keep aside, until the steam subsides. Bring back the pan on to medium heat, add Gram Flour/Besan water, 4 tbsp of Tamarind Pulp, 1 tsp of Rasam Powder, 1 tsp of Sambhar Powder, 1 tsp of Coriander Powder and 2 tsp of Sugar/Jaggery to the cooker. Mix well and cook until the stew thickens and the raw smell of the G...

Preparation - Wash and pat dry 8 Chicken Drumsticks / 3 Chicken Breasts cut into 2" pieces. Make 2 incisions on each drumstick. Marinate the pieces with Salt as needed, ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder and 2-3 tbsp of Lemon Juice for ½ hour. Soak 2 tbsp of Almonds in hot water. Peel and ground to a paste. Basting - Mix 3 tbsp of Butter with 1 tsp of White Pepper and 2 tsp of Kasoori Methi . Marinade - Mix ¾ cup of Thick Curd, ½ cup of Thick Cream, Almond Paste, 2 tsp of Kasoori Methi, 1 tbsp of Corn Flour, 2 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, ¾ tsp of Salt and 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves in a bowl. Drain the chicken pieces discarding the lemon juice and marinate them pieces with the curd mixture in the refrigerator. Bake - Preheat the oven at 180C for 10 minutes. Grill the marinated chicken pieces on a greased wire grill. Turn the chicken once in between and baste. Grill till tender for about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot sprinkled with some chaat masala, lemon juice and mint...

Pastry Sheets - Thaw a Puff Pastry sheet for atleast 30 minutes and cut into 6 squares each approximately about 3.5 inches wide by 5 inches long. Eggs - Boil and cut 4 hard boiled Eggs into halves, lengthwise. Keep aside. For Onion Masala -  Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan, toss a clove of Garlic - minced, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 1 medium Onion - cut into thin slices , saute until golden brown on low heat. Then add Salt to taste, 1/8 tsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Garam Masala and 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder . Mix well and add few Cilantro Leaves . Place a spoonful of onion masala in the middle and then a halved egg, cut side down. Fold the two ends of the strip, so that it encloses the egg. Seal the edges by applying very little water. Preheat oven for 375 F and bake for about 15-25 minutes. Serve hot with ketchup!

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/3 cup of Butter and whisk ¾ cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder till it dissolves. Mix in a cup of Sugar, an Egg and a tsp of Vanilla Extract till smooth. Add 1 tsp of Baking Soda, ½ tsp of Baking Powder, ¼ tsp of Salt and mix well. Stir in a cup of All Purpose Flour , followed by ¾ cup of Milk . Add another ¾ cup of All Purpose Flour and mix in until no flour streaks remain. Fold in a cup of Cranberries and a cup of Chocolate Chips . Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Makes 1 loaf; serves 12.

Wash and thaw 8 medium sized Fish Fillets (Tilapia, Mackerel – Vanjara, pomphret) and keep aside. Combine 1½ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, a juice of a Lemon, Salt to taste, 1½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, pinch of Turmeric Powder, pinch of Cumin Powder and a pinch of Coriander Powder in a bowl. Apply this marinade lightly to the fish pieces and keep aside for 20-30 minutes. Heat 1½ tbsp of Oil in a non-stick pan, add few Curry Leaves , place the marinated fish and fry for 14-15 mts on medium heat. Once it is slightly browned, flip over gently to the other side and roast for another 10-12 mts till browned. Serve hot.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and sauté ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds,   ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds in it. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add a medium chopped Onion  and 4-5 slit Green Chilies . Saute till the onion pieces are translucent and add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and mix well. Add a medium Anabhakaya, peeled and cubed to the pan, 1 tsp of Salt and cover cook for 2-3 minutes. Add Water as needed and cook till the anabhakaya pieces are cooked well (till soft to touch). Add Salt as needed and combine. Remove the curry from heat and add 1/3 cup of Milk and mix well. Serve hot with white rice.